Suspect in viral child sex assault video in custody

The video spread as many across the region attempted to get the word out and find the person responsible - an act that police said only made matters worse and could lead to criminal charges across the web.

Author:
Christopher Buchanan

Published:
2:17 PM CST February 6, 2018

Police in Alabama have the man they believe was behind a sickening video being spread on Facebook in custody.

Moore was wanted on 11 counts related to a criminal sexual conduct investigation involving a person under 13, WSFA reported. He also has active warrants in Detroit, Michigan.

Both Moore and his fiance are in the Elmore County Jail.

The video spread as many across the region attempted to get the word out and find the person responsible. But for many of those people, the decision will backfire since they could be charged with distributing child pornography - a criminal offense.

Police in several jurisdictions has since issued warnings to the public to report the video to Facebook and delete it - not sharing it for any reason.

The Montgomery Advertiser reports that authorities were at first unsure where the video originated but an investigation turned up that Moore is a suspect and might be in Alabama.

"Due to a video being shared at an alarming rate, CrimeStoppers reached out to our Law Enforcement Partners and asked was there anything that the media could do to stop the spread of the video," Executive Director Tony Garrett said in an email to the Advertiser. "We, just like you, want the person(s) that are abusing this child captured and brought to justice. We do not want the video to keep being shared, making the case harder for Law Enforcement to investigate."

Police did make another arrest for distribution of the video - 42-year-old Jerrell Washington.

Multiple state agencies, including the Alabama Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, are involved in the ongoing investigation.